Strainer for lubricating systems.



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G. H. WORSEY.

STRAINER FOR LUBRIOATING SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.18,1906.

922 ,657 Patented May 25, 1909.

Fi i 3 g 5 5 l3 '0 I ll \ J? L H l6 Witnesses:

Inventor; Char-lesH.or-sey,

Oqttiy.

STATES PATENT FFIQE- CHARLES H. WORSEY, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORTO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

STRAINER FOR LUBRICATING SYSTEMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1909.

Application filed December 18, 1906. Serial No. 348,382.

Systems, of which the following is a specification.

In the operation of machinery it is necessary in many cases to employlubricant under high pressure, and to provide'means for insuring acontinuous flow thereof to the bear ing or bearings. In such a system itis necessary to provide one or more strainers to prevent grit, metalchips and other foreign matter from passing into the pump or bearing orbearings and injuring them and the shafts contained therein.

My invention has for its object to provide a strainer of improvedconstruction whereby the strainer proper can be removed, cleaned andreinserted in place without interrupting the flow of lubricant to theapparatus being lubricated.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates one of the embodiments ofmy inventlon, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a strainer Fig. 2 isa section taken on line 2 2, ofFig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section taken on line3, 3, of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a view showing the device in operation withthe strainer removed, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing astrainer adapted to be put in service when the main strainer is removed.

. 1 indicates a casing which is provided with an inlet pipe 2 and adischarge pipe 3. In the casing are two passages 4 and 5 arranged inmultiple, the main passage 4 extending through the removable strainer,while the auxiliary passage extends around the strainer and is normallyout of service. Formed within the casing is an open-ended cylinder 6containing a tubular member 7 which has a valve 8 formed on its righthand end. The valve is cut away slightly at the end to prevent foreignarticles from being wedged between it and t e seat 9 when the valve isclosed. The valve is normally open when the strainer is in operation andis closed when the strainer is removed for the purpose of cleaning orotherwise. The strainer may be connected to the suction or dischargeside of the pump. Whenon the discharge side the valve 8, when closed,will prevent liquid from flowin out of the casing, and when on thesuction side it will prevent the entrance of air which would destroy thevacuum. On the left hand end of the tubular member is a piston valve 10connected thereto by columns 11. The function of this piston valve is toprevent the passage of lubricant from the inlet 2 to the auxiliarypassage 5 during the normal operation of the device and to shut off theflow of lubricant through the main passage 4 when the strainer isremoved and to admit it to the auxiliary passage 5. A spring 12.constantly urges the valves Sand 10 toward the right at all times and isseated in a removable screwthreaded plug 13. Bychanging the position ofthe plug the tension on the spring can be varied.

Located within the tubular member 7 is a frame or cage for the strainercomprising heads 14 and 15 connected by longitudinally extending bars16. The heads are of such diameter that the cage is held centrally inposition, as shown in section, Fig. 2. Located within the cage is atubular screen 17 for separating foreign matter from the lubricatingfluid as it flows through the passage 4 to the discharge pipe 3. Theright hand end of the cage is supported by a screw threaded plug 18. Itis to be observed that between the bore of this plug and the cage, andbetween the bore of the member 7 and the cage, sufliciont space isprovided to permit the 1ubricant to freely flow therethrough. It willthus be seen that a screen of large dimen sions is provided to insuregood operation of the strainer even though the inside of the straineritself contains a considerable mass of foreign matter separated from thelubricant. This arrangement also results in a comparatively low velocityof the fluid as it flows through the mesh of the strainer. It is to benoted that the screw thread on the plug 18 is made longer than thetravel of the valves 8 or 10, the object being to enable the strainerproper to be removedwithout interrupting the flow of the lubricant fromthe inlet 2 to the outlet 3.

As the plug 18 is backed out the cage follows it and also the pistonvalve 10, since the spring 12 continually urges them toward the right.This results in the valve 8 interrupting the continuity of the passage4, as shown in Fig. 4. At or about the time the valve 8 closes, theisten valve 10, carried by the tubular member 7, passes from one of itsseats to the other and cuts off the flow of lubricant thence to theoutlet 3, which passage is cut off from that within the cylinder ,6. Theplug can then be completely unscrewed and the strainer removed andcleaned Without interru ting the flow of lubricant,to the bearing orearings.

As the strainer and its cage are open at 1 one end it is a very simplematter to clean and-reinsert it in position, or a newcage and strainermay be inserted in place, as desired; After the cage is inserted inplace, the plug 18 is inserted and as it is screwed into place, it willengage with the right hand end of the cage and gradually push it to theleft, at the same time opening the valve 8 and closing the valve 10, sothat the auxiliarly passage is closed and all of the lubricant wi passthrough the strainer.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that two paths are provided for thelubricant,

- one of. which contains a strainer and is normally in operation, whilethe other is in shunt to the first and is only in service when the mainpath is closed. Since the opening and closing of these valves isdependent upon the insertion. and the removal of the plug 18, it followsthat there no danger of interrupting the lubricant supply to the apparatus being served owing-to carelessness on the part of the attendant,as would be the case if hand valves Were provided and it was necessaryto operate ,one or more for removmg the strainer and to restore them totheir normal position after the strainer is restored to place. Inaddition to this the construction is very simple, requires few arts andis inexpenslve to manufacture. t is to be noted that the bore of thecylinder 6 is in line with the plugs 13 and 18 which makes it a simplematter to machine. The tubular member and valves are removed through theo ening at the let-t, and thestrainer through t e opening at the right.

In F g. 5 is shown a modification wherein an auxlliary strainer 20 ismounted on the piston valve 10 and so arranged that when the mainstrainer is removed it will be interposed between the inlet and outletand thus prevent the passage of foreign particles to the pump orbearings, as the case may be. I may use-the strainer 20 or not as bestmeets the requirements for which the device as a wholeis intended.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I havedescribed the prin-' ciple of operation of my invention together withthe a .paratus which I now consider to re resent t e best embodimentthereof; but;

I esire to have it understood that the appastrainer for cutting the mainpassage out of and the auxiliary passage into servlce when said straineris removed.

2. In a device of the character described,

the combination of a casing having passages for lubricant therein,strainers for the passages, there being openings in the walls of thecasing for inserting and removing the strainers, devices for opening andclosing said openings, and means that is automatically brought intoaction during the opening of a passage by one of said devices for theremoval of one of the strainers, which means shuts off said assage andtherebyprevents escape of lubr cant through it from interfering with theflow of lubricant through the casing.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a casinghaving main and auxiliary passages therein, a strainer located in themain passage, a strainer for the auxiliary passage, and means normallyhaving a tendency to act to cut the-main passage and strainer out ofservice and the auxiliary passage and strainer into servlce, which meansis brought 1nto actlon upon the removal of the main strainer and isreset by its insertion.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of achambered casing having an inlet, an outlet and a strainer receivingopening, a strainer which'is inserted in the casing through the opening,a removable cover for the opening to permit the insertion and removal ofthe strainer, and a means brought into action by the removal of thecover for preventing fluid from escaping from the casing when said coveris removed.

5. In a device of the character described,

the combination of a casing having main and.

and an outlet, passages arranged in multiple between the inlet and theoutlet, a strainer in the main passage through which the fluid normallyflows, there being a covered openmg through which the strainer isinserted and removed, and a valve means for automatically cutting themain passage out and the auxiliary passage into service and preventingthe escape of fluid when the cover is removed.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of a casinghaving an inlet, an outlet and a strainer receiving opening, passageswithin the casing, a tubularpiston which acts as a valve when thestrainer is removedto prevent the escape of fluid, a second pistoncarried by the first which acts as a valve to cut one passage intoservice and another out, a strainer located in the tubular piston, ascrew threaded cover for the opening in the casing, and means acting asthe cover is unscrewed to actuate the valves before the strainer can beremoved.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination of a casinghaving an inlet, an outlet, a cylinder and a strainer receiving opening,a piston mounted in the cylinder,

valves carried thereby, a strainer mounted in the casing, a spring whichurges the valves toward a closed position, there being main andauxiliary passages controlled thereby, and a screw threaded cover forthe opening, the threaded portion of said cover having a greater lengththan the travel of the valves.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination of acasinghaving an inlet,

an outlet, a cylinder and a strainer receiving opening, a piston mountedin the cylinder, valves carried thereby, a strainer comprising a cageand a wire mesh mounted in said cylinder and entering the tubularpiston, a spring which urges the valves in a given direction, a screwthreaded means for adjusting the tension of the spring, there being mainand auxiliary passages controlled by the valves, and a tubular coverwhich contains one endot the strainer and has a screwthreaded portioncooperating with the easing that has a length greater than the movementsof the valves.

10. In a device of the character described, the combination of a casing,a valve which normally has a tendency to close and is provided with acut-away portion to prevent foreign matter from being caught between itand the seat, and a strainer normally holding the valve open and whichpermits the valve to close when it is removed.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set 'my hand this fifteenth day ofDecember,

CHARLES H. VVORSEY.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. MOMANUS, Jr., HENRY C. SPINNEY.

